Dark Winter Days Are Coming... Let's Talk Vitamin D!

Article By: Dominica Dieffenbach, RDN

Dominica is a Registered Dietitian currently specializing in the special needs pediatric population. She has over 15 years of experience as an RD, working with a wide variety of patients to provide them with individualized medical nutrition therapy and education.

Vitamin D is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, and comes in two different forms — D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). It is lovingly known as “the sunshine vitamin” and a vital nutrient which is essential for its many functions in a child’s growing body. Vitamin D is also a hormone, and most thought of for its role in bone growth from childhood through adolescence.

It can also help to strengthen the immune system, support mental health, reduce inflammation, and later in life can prevent chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer. That’s totally dynamite!

Vitamin D can come from food sources and is also produced endogenously when UV light hits the skin. However, many children have insufficient serum blood levels because they:

• Live in places where sunlight is limited in winter
• Have darker skin pigment
• They spend most of their day indoors
• Have a milk allergy or are lactose intolerant
• Have higher percentage of body fat

You may be asking yourself, “What does my child need to eat to get enough Vitamin D?”. Well, unfortunately very few foods naturally contain Vitamin D, but they include salmon, sardines, and egg yolks, while some dairy products, non-diary substitutes, orange juice and cereals can be fortified with Vitamin D. So, it can also be difficult for the average kiddo to get enough Vitamin D through their diet!

Now you can see why Vitamin D deficiency in children is a very common problem in both developed and undeveloped countries, especially in the colder months! But the good news is, it can be corrected with proper supplementation from a high-quality source like Renzo's Dynamite D3. Most studies show that Vitamin D3 is more effective than Vitamin D2 in raising blood levels of Vitamin D.

Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vitamin D

Tolerable Upper Limits for Vitamin D

As we head into the winter months — or if your child may be unable to get enough Vitamin D through diet or the sun during any month — consider supplementation with Renzo’s Dynamite D3.

Renzo's Vitamins provides general recommendations, not to be construed as medical advice.